The scheduled closing of Brookhaven High School in June has upended lives of hundreds of Columbus high school students. The class of 2014 will be the last to graduate from the Karl Road school. Younger students will have to change schools. That has unleashed competition for students between the district and area charter schools.

The scheduled closing of Brookhaven High School in June has upended lives of hundreds of Columbus high school students. The class of 2014 will be the last to graduate from the Karl Road school. Younger students will have to change schools. That has unleashed competition for students between the district and area charter schools.

Some Brookhaven students dismayed

When Brookhaven juniors Nautica Jordan and Kaliyah Hagens learned they would have to attend a different school for their senior year, disappointment and anxiety now fill their school days.

When they said they were going to close Brookhaven it just feels like it’s nothing for us. It’s over, like drop out, nobody cares. We can’t go to a different school and be ourself.

Nautica and Kaliyah and hundreds of other Brookhaven freshman, sophomores, and juniors must decide by the end of the month where they will go to school next year.

The distict will move Brookhaven students to either Mifflin High School or Whetstone High Schools.

North side charter schools recruit Brookhaven students

But charter schools are using the closing to aggressively recruit Bookhaven students. Brookhaven teacher Jeff Grace.

“Ever since the announcement was made our students have been getting three and four letters a day from charter schools,” says Grace

And the area around Brookhaven has many charter schools including Life Skills High School just a couple of miles away. Superintendent Joe Buckalew says the charter school is definitely reaching out to Brookhaven students.

We’ve got plenty of empty seats

Life skills principal Jordan Argus adds he’s been promoting the school to parents of Brookhaven students through word of mouth.

“We have some informational calls where families aren’t quite ready to make the transition but they want to know what their options are. So we love letting them know what we do,” Argus says.

Financial stakes

The stakes are high for both charter and city schools. About $5,700 in state education funds follow each student whether they attend a charter or a city school. So, if just a fifth of the 521 students enrolled at Brookhaven decide to attend a charter school next year, the Columbus School district would lose more than a half-million dollars in state funding.

Columbus is pushing back against the charter school’s recruitment. Spokesman Jeff Warner says officials will meet with Brookhaven parents and students beginning next week in an effort to keep them enrolled in district schools. Extra-curriculars will be among selling points

Many of the charter schools don’t have those athletic and other extra-curricular programs that public school districts can provide.

The Columbus school board last week decided to close Brookhaven in part to give parents and students time to plan for next year. Students and parents face an unexpected decision â€” a decision made harder by recruiters from charter schools

]]>http://wosu.org/2012/news/2014/03/14/charter-schools-recruit-brookhaven-hs-students/feed/0Brookhaven High School,Life Skills High SchoolThe scheduled closing of Brookhaven High School in June has upended lives of hundreds of Columbus high school students. The class of 2014 will be the last to graduate from the Karl Road school. Younger students will have to change schools.The scheduled closing of Brookhaven High School in June has upended lives of hundreds of Columbus high school students. The class of 2014 will be the last to graduate from the Karl Road school. Younger students will have to change schools. That has unleashed competition for students between the district and area charter schools.WOSU Newsno2:42Columbus Board Votes To Close Schoolshttp://wosu.org/2012/news/2014/03/04/columbus-board-votes-to-close-schools/
http://wosu.org/2012/news/2014/03/04/columbus-board-votes-to-close-schools/#commentsWed, 05 Mar 2014 04:41:05 +0000Tom Borgerdinghttp://wosu.org/2012/news/?p=67049

The Columbus School Board voted to close five schools at the end of the current school year. The decision will save the district money, but it was made after some tearful pleas to spare two of the schools.

The Columbus School Board voted to close five schools at the end of the current school year. The decision will save the district money. but, it was made after several pleas to spare two of the schools.

After more than two hours of discussion and some tearful pleas from parents and teachers, the Columbus school board voted to close Brookhaven High, Monroe Middle, and three elementary schools at the end of the current school year.

The unanimous vote effects 1645 students. Brookhaven senior Netronne Backus struggled for words after learning he would be among the last class to graduate from the school.

“I don’t know to say of my reaction. I don’t think it’s fair for all the other students that have to graduate. Of the athletics, the grades were getting better. I don’t think it’s fair at all,” says Backus.

Brookhaven students will be assigned to Mifflin High School just south of Easton.

Parent Stacey Noriega asked the board to spare Maybury elementary. She praised the staff at the school for understanding the needs of her medically fragile child.

“My son’s had three open heart surgeries and two airway surgeries. I know that other parents of medically fragile children, or special needs children understand what I’m saying and I really hope you guys do too. Please keep Maybury open so we don’t have to hope another school will understand,” says Noriega.

With the closing of Maybury, Noriega says her child can no longer walk to school. Board member Michael Cole moved to spare Maybury but the motion failed on a 5 to 2 vote.

The decision to close schools comes after a tumultuous year and a half for the district. It is still feeling lingering effects of a grade and attendance data scrubbing scandal that prompted a mayor’s commission that recommended reforms. But, district voters soundly rejected increased taxes to fund the reforms.

Tuesday night’s vote shaves about $10 millions from the district’s projected $50 million budget deficit. Board president Gary Baker says it’s uncertain how many teachers, administrators, and other staff will be cut after the five schools close.

“That has not yet been determined. The team will continue the process. That will be determined based on tonight’s vote. It couldn’t really take any official action until the board had taken its action,” says Baker.

Superintendent Dan Good says administrators will now begin work with staff, parents and students in the closed schools to make what he says will be an ‘emotional transition.’ he says the early March vote was necessary to give parents a chance to participate in school choice programs for next school year.

“It’s a very emotional response as it would be for anyone that’s leaving something where they’re comfortable and feel supported to go to a new place. Our real challenge begins now to focus on that transition and how to introduce them, integrate them and ultimately support them in that new setting,” says Good.

The district will have to make more budget cuts to balance it’s books and Superintendent Good says administrators will look at all programs that exceed state minimum standards for possible cuts. Board president Baker says the timing of a future tax levy request is now under discussion.

]]>http://wosu.org/2012/news/2014/03/04/columbus-board-votes-to-close-schools/feed/0Brookhaven High School,columbus city schools,Dan Good,Gary BakerThe Columbus School Board voted to close five schools at the end of the current school year. The decision will save the district money, but it was made after some tearful pleas to spare two of the schools.The Columbus School Board voted to close five schools at the end of the current school year. The decision will save the district money, but it was made after some tearful pleas to spare two of the schools.WOSU Newsno3:04Columbus School Leaders Change Closing Recommendationshttp://wosu.org/2012/news/2014/03/03/columbus-school-leaders-change-closing-recommendations/
http://wosu.org/2012/news/2014/03/03/columbus-school-leaders-change-closing-recommendations/#commentsMon, 03 Mar 2014 20:21:59 +0000WOSU News Staffhttp://wosu.org/2012/news/?p=66975

After two overflow public hearings, Columbus school leaders have changed their list of recommended school closings.

For the first time in more than 30 years, Columbus City Schools has proposed closing high schools. The district faces a budget deficit and enrollment has been on the decline. But the growing popularity of high school specialization and school choice also play a role in the closure decisions.

For the first time in more than 30 years, Columbus City Schools has proposed closing high schools. The district faces a budget deficit and enrollment has been on the decline. But the growing popularity of high school specialization and school choice also play a role in the closure decisions.

The last time a Columbus City Schools high school closed the parents of todayâ€™s students were likely still in school themselves. It was 1982, just a few years after the district was ordered to desegregate. Enrollment was at about 70,000 students.

Over the past three decades, enrollment has dropped to 51,000, leaving a lot of empty chairs in the cityâ€™s schools. Carole Olshavsky leads the districtâ€™s capital improvements department.

â€œMost of our high schools are significantly under capacity,” she said.

Officials want to close Brookhaven and Independence High Schools. The schools report cards are dismal: Ds and Fs. And a third of the students assigned to Brookhaven and Independence choose to go someplace else, leaving both buildings about half full.

Some students choose to attend other Columbus public high schools. Itâ€™s called open enrollment and slots are decided by lottery.

And school choice advocates like Sarah Pechan Driver said open enrollment provides options for students looking for better schools

â€œThere is a severe quality school desert for students K-12 in most Columbus neighborhoods, and itâ€™s particularly stark in high school,” Pechan Driver said.

But some argue the process takes away top students from conventional neighborhood schools, especially the struggling ones.

School choice supporter Aaron Churchill, a data analyst at Fordham Institute in Columbus, acknowledged a downside.

â€œIt leaves some schools with more vulnerable children,” he said. “And that we need to understand what those schools are and how they can improve and how they can change the kidsâ€™ lives who are there.â€

But Churchill added there are many reasons why students leave poor performing schools, and some students transfer to other low performing schools.

But the districtâ€™s Olshavsky pointed to charter schools. She said they began siphoning off elementary kids about a decade ago. That forced the district to close 40 elementary and middle schools. Now that trend has carried over to high schools.

â€œThatâ€™s also why we havenâ€™t looked at high schools before, there was just no reason to as long as they were maintaining a reasonable population until this kind of negative bubble hit,” Olshavsky said.

The nature of a public high school is changing.

Only three Columbus high schools received As or Bs on state report cards. And those three are specialized high schools: a STEM â€“ Science, Technology, Engineering and Math; a baccalaureate school with rigorous honors classes; and a college-prep school.

Those kinds of high schools are in high demand.

Columbus Schools superintendent Dan Good said the neighborhood high school will remain essential, but he expects more conventional schools will offer specialties.

â€œNow weâ€™re looking at additional pathways such as engineering at West High School. Weâ€™re looking at logistics at South High School. Weâ€™re looking at allied health at East High School.”

The school board could decide in a few weeks whether to close Brookhaven and Independence High Schools. And Olshavsky said a third high school could close if enrollment declines further.

â€œBut on the other hand, thereâ€™s opportunities for neighborhoods to rally around their high schools and find ways to bring the population back to it,” she said. “If 50 percent of kids are opting out of a school, letâ€™s find out why and try to get them back in their neighborhood because itâ€™s pretty devastating to a neighborhood to lose a high school like that.â€

]]>http://wosu.org/2012/news/2014/02/25/demand-for-specialty-high-schools-up-as-others-face-closure/feed/0Aaron Churchill,Brookhaven High School,Carole Olshavsky,columbus city schools,high school closure,Independence High School,Sarah Pechan Driver,school closureFor the first time in more than 30 years, Columbus City Schools has proposed closing high schools. The district faces a budget deficit and enrollment has been on the decline. But the growing popularity of high school specialization and school choice al...For the first time in more than 30 years, Columbus City Schools has proposed closing high schools. The district faces a budget deficit and enrollment has been on the decline. But the growing popularity of high school specialization and school choice also play a role in the closure decisions.WOSU Newsno4:05Brookhaven Classes Canceled After Police-Involved Shootinghttp://wosu.org/2012/news/2012/09/18/brookhaven-classes-canceled-after-police-involved-shooting/
http://wosu.org/2012/news/2012/09/18/brookhaven-classes-canceled-after-police-involved-shooting/#commentsTue, 18 Sep 2012 11:54:14 +0000Steve Brownhttp://wosu.org/2012/news/?p=35337

Students were kept home today after a burglary suspect was shot by a police officer inside the north Columbus school.